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...plus c'est la même chose. This month marks the 60th anniversary of the first jet passenger service - operated, as I'm sure we all know, by a beautiful BOAC de Havilland Comet.

And while I could use this anniversary as an excuse to drone on about the Comet and all that it promised for British aviation prior to its grounding after a spate of tragic accidents two years after its debut, I thought it would be more appropriate to reflect on what that sunny day in May represented for the world and globalisation.

More than any other moment during the 109 years since the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, 2 May 1952 revolutionised air transportation and marked the start of the modern era of jet travel. For when those 36 passengers departed London (Heathrow) Airport bound for Johannesburg, much of what they experienced for the first time as members of the public has not changed one bit in the ensuing six decades.

After the flight lifted off from Heathrow's runway 27L (okay, it was called runway No 5 back then), the Comet climbed to an initial cruising height of 36,000ft (FL360) and a speed of 525mph (845km/h or 460kt TAS), and later climbed as high as FL400. Passengers on tonight's flight BA57 to JNB on board a 747-400 will no doubt be experiencing a not dissimilar flight profile (but without the five refuelling stops!). 

Prior to the arrival of the Comet, air passengers lumbered around at heights no greater than 25,000ft in the piston and early turboprop airliners of the day. So in 1952 the Comet - as the world's first operational jet transport - delivered for the first time a flying experience to the air passenger that would differ little in terms of speed and height for the foreseeable future (with the exception of those lucky enough to experience Concorde during its 27-year reign).

The onboard environment is of course a different story. The Comet's narrow cabin (above, via British Airways) was one area that harked back to the immediate post-war era in which it was spawned. It had just 36 seats arranged in a fairly cosy layout, with a club eight arrangement in a forward, private cabin (often the preserve of the Hollywood set, apparently) and the remaining 28 seats in the main cabin - all four abreast. Aft of the cabin was the entry foyer and "dressing rooms and toilets - ladies port and gentlemen's starboard". 

This was a world away from the first class cabins of today's long-haul network carriers (Etihad's illustrated), but there is no doubt that the Comet's occupants still found themselves in a quieter, smoother and more comfortable world than anything they had experienced previously when on board one of the lumbering, propeller-driven predecessors.

That first jet service to Johannesburg took 23h 38min, and was flown by BOAC Comet Yoke Peter, shaving an amazing 17h off the existing service operated by a Douglas DC-6B. The return fare in 1952 was £315.The flight arrived in JNB two minutes ahead of schedule after a routing which involved refuelling stops in Rome, Beirut, Khartoum, Entebbe and Livingstone. There were two crew changes - one in Beirut (where Capt Michael Majendie was relieved by Capt J Marsden) and the other in Khartoum (where Capt Cliff Alabaster DSO, DFC (the former BSAA pilot who crewed the first ever flight from Heathrow in 1946) took over for the final legs to Johannesburg). 

Such was the novelty that de Havilland's jet delivered to civilians in terms of high altitude cruising, that a book - Comet Highway - was commissioned to celebrate the views from the Comet's passenger windows. As the book summarised it so succinctly in its foreword: with the arrival of the Comet "the World would never be the same again".

It added: "Swift and secure high-altitude flight is no longer the prerogative of the specialist few, for the Comet has brought it to the multitude, and many thousands of everyday travellers have already experienced the wonders of jet flight at eight miles a minute in a magic world eight miles above the levels of the oceans."

I couldn't have put it better - de Havilland, the Comet and BOAC: We salute you!

Read Flight's news report on the World's first jet airliner service, in its 9 May 1952 edition, here (from our archive)

Lufthansa celebrated the arrival of its first Boeing 747-8I on Wednesday in a hangar at Frankfurt airport, where 1,200 invited employees - and a few journos - got a chance to preview the latest iteration of Jumbo Jet.

Clockwise from top left: 747-200B, -200B (new colours), -8I and -400 

Lufthansa will have the honour of debuting Boeing's sixth iteration of passenger-carrying 747 when it puts the new jet into service on 1 June between Frankfurt and Washington Dulles. Four more of the 362 seaters are due to arrive this year, with 15 more slated to be delivered through 2013-2015. Other destinations that should be graced by the Lufthansa 747-8I this year include Chicago, Los Angeles, New Delhi and Bangalore.

Upper deck - 1975 versus 2012

Lufthansa has been a big fan of Boeing's big jet right from the start. It has already taken delivery of almost 60 passenger 747s, has flown many of the variants including 747-100, -200B/200B combi, -200F, -400/400 combi and now -8I. It was also the first to introduce the type in Europe in April 1970 (between Frankfurt and New York).

First class in the nose - 1975 versus 2012

And apart from its very early 747-100s - which were Pratt & Whitney powered - all have been equipped with General Electric turbofans. The latest iteration is of course powered by a derivative of the GEnx developed for the 787.  

Sadly, Lufthansa also had the ominous distinction of being the first airline to suffer a 747 fatal accident, when one of its -100s crashed on take-off from Nairobi in November 1974.

Jumbo cabin cabin crew now - and then

Given Lufthansa's four decades of 747 history, it is appropriate to use the arrival of the first 747-8I to examine how Jumbo cabin fashions have evolved over the ages.  

Remarkably, Lufthansa's original 747-100 seat count was just one different from today's 747-8I - 361 versus 362. But that is where the similarities end. That first aircraft had 28 first class seats and the rest was economy. Today's -8I has just eight first class seats (all located in the nose section) and 92 in business. The remaining 262 are economy.

First class on board the -400 in the 1990s - and now on board the 747-8I

Another big difference between 1970 and 2012 is the upper deck. These were originally used as lounge or break-out zones for premium passengers to relax in en route. Today's -8I with an extended upper deck that is similar in area to the cabin of a 737-700, puts the space to good use by accommodating 32 business-class passengers in luxury that far surpasses first class from four decades ago.  

The 747's cockpit has changed quite a lot over the years too, primarily through the elimination of the flight engineer and his associated panel. However pilots converting from the 747-400 will struggle to tell the difference when they step on to the flightdeck of a -8I, as this is one area where little has changed between 1989 and 2012. But that speaks volumes for how advanced the -400's cockpit was back then when it was first introduced....

Read more about Lufthansa's 747-8I introduction and how it will operate alongside its Airbus A380s here, and view video on board the new Jumbo here

And check out Lufthansa's impressive 747-8 micro-site here

Below: First and latest - Lufthansa's original 747-100 series and its new 747-8I

 

 

Its been another year of growth and expansion for low-cost carriers. 2011 saw double-digit revenue growth almost across the board. Southwest Airlines completed its acquisition of AirTran to underline its position as the biggest budget carrier by a distance, while organic growth remains strong among other low-cost carriers. And while high fuel prices took the edge of low-cost carrier profits, the sector largely remained profitable for the year.

It has been a couple of years since I have been to the Aircraft Interiors Show, the annual exhibition for all things cabin interiors held in Hamburg last month, so it was interesting to see how this part of the business has moved on.

Air Berlin used the occasion of its accession into Oneworld this week to showcase its new home airport - or what will become its home 73 days from now. The new Berlin Brandenburg International airport will finally unify the city's airport system which has been split across three sites for much of the time since the city's division after World War II. Unification of Berlin's airports began with the closure of the iconoic Templelhof airport in October 2008. The second and final stage will come with the closure overnight of the existing Tegel and Schonefeld airports and opening of the the new Brandenburg airport, located next to the old Schonefeld site, on 3 June.

The ceremony was the first such event at the new airport and was marked by a double debut, the first Air Berlin aircraft (an A330-200 and 737-800) at the airport and the first in Oneworld colours.

"It is a great honour for us to be hosting this event. It is the first time aircraft are catered on the new apron," said Berlin Airports chief executive Rainer Schwartz, joking: "It proves that the concrete is dry." But, noting the airport will be Oneworld's third busiest in Europe, he believes the airport provides the opportunity for growth. "With their own pier at BER, we are offering airberlin and oneworld partners first-class travel comfort, everything within easy reach and minimum connecting times."

Air Berlin chief executive Hartmut Mehdorn also stressed the opportunity. "We are going to develop the new airport into a hub," he said. "We are waiting for the new airport, we are very confident it will be ready on time. We are confident it will give us the chance for the business to grow."

Other Oneworld carriers could be tempted in."I think there is going to be a great opportunity here at Berlin," said American Airlines chief executive Tom Horton. "It's certainly something American Airlines is looking at."

Read much more about what Air Berlin brings to the alliance and the positioning of Oneworld after the financial setbacks of several of its members, or prospective members, here.

The airport is still a construction site, but all appear confident of meeting its new June opening target (this slipped from an original October 2011 target to ensure security facilities complied with new European Union requirements).

 

The size of the task, closing down two airports and switching to a new one overnight, is enormous. And great effort is going in to ensure there is no repeat of the operational teething problems that have dogged so many airport openings, not least the high-profile baggage problems at the Heathrow T5 home of Air Berlin's Oneworld partner British Airways. This work includes a fourth-month testing period with an army of volunteers testing the facilities by simulating the check-in process at the airport, before boarding a bus, and going back round to do it all over again.

Frequent flyer programme initiatives at British Airways, India's Kingfisher Airlines and Virgin Australia were all recognised in this year's Loyalty Innovation Awards, held during the Airline Business/Global Flight organised Loyalty 2012 event in Berlin.

BA was picked out for its personal recognition initiative, a programme which has seen it develop 50 areas where the airline could improve personalisation by pushing this into the customer experience for its frequent flyers.

"We were getting a lot of feedback from customers that wanted more personalisation," explained British Airways manager of Exec Club communications, Nathalie Masoin, who collected the award on behalf of the airline at the event in Berlin.

One initiative for example has seen the crew delivering personalised messages from the airline to key regular flyers onboard the aircraft via an iPad app. That has increased delivery of personalised messages to customers by 87%.

Based on its regular benchmark satisfaction survey, she points to a 14% increase in satisfaction among its gold members since it rolled out the initiative.

Virgin Australia was recognised by the judges for its Velocity Frequent Flyer programme, which has seen it double engagement levels and the rate of member acquisition since its launch four months ago. The move supports the evolution of the carrier, which has moved from its low-cost carrier Virgin Blue origins, further towards the business market - a sector in which it competes against the highly successful Qantas FFP. "We wanted to focus on the business traveller as we had to unstick members from our competitor," explained Andrew Mason, manager Velocity Airline Partners at Virgin Australia.

Restructuring Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines received a tonic with an award for its Feel the Force initiative - creating a fantasy Formula 1 product within its King Club scheme to tie with last year's inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Find out more about the Loyalty 2012 event here - next year's event is in Dubai by the way - or by the #Loyalty2012 tag on Twitter.

Read out recent feature on the challenges facing airlines in maximising the potential of their loyalty programmes, both through the way they structure their loyalty business and in their efforts to engage infrequent travellers.

At the Singapore air show this weekend the country's flag carrier is giving one of aviation's iconic airliners a worthy send-off.

For SIA will retire the Boeing 747 from its passenger fleet on 6 April after almost four decades of faithful service. Although the Jumbo will continue to haul freight for SIA's cargo arm for some time to come, it is game over for the "Mega Top" at the passenger division.

To celebrate, SIA has brought the last 747-412 it received, back in 2001, to the static park at the Singapore air show this weekend (after a 7min positioning flight from nearby Changi Int'l) to celebrate its massive contribution to the airline's development since it arrived in September 1973.

"The 747 has been the flagship for so many years in the SIA fleet. We're sad that we're having to say goodbye to it, SIA's VP public affairs (and former Flightglobal hack) Nick Ionides told Interactive Flight Daily News.

"The 747 enabled us to pioneer non-stop flying across the Pacific and from Singapore to London. It's only fitting that we involve the public, so we've brought the last 747 passenger aircraft we received to the show and opened it up to visitors."

When the big jet arrived in Singapore 39 years ago it immediately transformed the airline, which until then had been relying largely on the 747's little sister, the 707. Indeed there were many who wondered what the tiny island state was doing ordering such a huge aeroplane in large numbers (sound familiar?).

The jumbo quickly went on to help SIA establish itself as the world's leading international network carrier with a reputation for fine service delivered by troupes of attentive (and attractive!) "Singapore Girls".

The airline's original 747-200Bs were joined by the stretched upper deck 747-300 "Big Tops" from 1983 and the -400 "Mega Tops" in 1989.

But the airline has called time as it transitions to the 777-300ER and A380 for its long-haul network. The Jumbo's last scheduled service will be on 25 March from Melbourne and the type will retire after a SIN-HKG-SIN commemorative flight on 6 April.

The Jumbo is open to tours at the show and has been decked out with an exhibition displaying the history of the airline's 747 operations over the four decades of service. The piece de resistance is the display in the forward cabin which features the original 1993 waxwork (above) from Madame Tussaud's of real Singapore Girl Lim Suet Kwee, who looks as beautiful as ever. Kwee, who has been with SIA since 1986, only stopped flying last year and now a cabin crew executive.

Farewell Singapore Jumbo...

Watch the feature about SIA's 747 farewell at the Singapore air show here

And here's a link to the story from Flight International in August 1972, when newly created SIA placed orders for two 747s and took options on two more. It said at the time it may have a requirement for up to 12 Jumbos over the next 10 years.

SIA has also set up a dedicated website to mark the 747 retirement, with history and info about the type's service with the airline.

So Malev has become the second established European carrier (its history dates back to 1946) in a week to suspend operations. While there have been some smaller airline casualties in Europe so far this year - Czech Connect and Germany's Cirrus Airlines both suspended flights while seeking new finance (another, Austrian carrier Air Alps, has now resumed flights after earlier suspending operations in January), it is the fall of Malev and Spanair over the last seven days which demonstrates how tough it is for airlines in Europe. Malev and Spanair are both established in alliances - Oneworld and Star Alliance respectively - and feature in the top 150 airlines by revenues.

MALEV

• 21 aircraft
• Revenues $421m (2010)
• Passengers: 3.05m (2010)

SPANAIR

• 29 aircraft
• Revenues $800m (2010 Airline Business estimate)
• Passengers: 6.96m (2010)

This is rapidly looking like it might become a winter of discontent for Europe's airlines. The region is forecast for losses this year as they battle the headwinds of high fuel prices and the eurozone woes. And enforcement of European Commission state aid rules is adding further pressure to those who might previously have taken comfort from the state for support. (For more on this pressure check out our ANALYSIS: Spanair collapse bad news for state-funded airlines article).

Alongside airline collapses, mergers are the other element to airline consolidation - and a number of deals in the works will further change the picture. How far has this journey gone? Well here is a little graphic which shows the number of passenger airlines (scheduled and charter) operating today from some of the major markets compared to 2001 - and while passenger numbers for European carriers among the top 200 airlines have jumped more than 75% over the last ten years, the number of carriers in each country has fallen (and this doesn't take account of deals in the works or shared airline ownership).

 

And for a more detailed look on how this process has worked, look at this analysis of the Italian market - which if planned mergers are completed, will mean it will have gone from around 20 airlines to essentially three in the last decade.